CHAPTER EIGHT

Yuugi sighed as he found Yami chatting with his new friends at the school gate. His grandfather was right, Yami deserved a little rest from work, but Yuugi couldn't help feeling disappointed, even if it was only one afternoon away from Yami.

Suddenly, Yuugi realized Yami's little group of friends were whispering and glancing sideways in his direction. His cheeks burned with embarrassment as he turned away, pretending to be looking at the school building. A hand grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around. Yuugi refused to look up, but just from the long legs in front of him, he knew it was Otogi, one of Yami's better friends.

"Hey, kid," he said, his tone neutral. "Why do you keep looking at us? Is there something you want?"

Yuugi swallowed nervously, staring at his shoes. Otogi wasn't one of the bullies, but Yuugi knew the boy could easily rip him apart if he wanted to. "No. I'm sorry if I was bothering you. I won't do it again."

"Tell me why you keep looking at us," Otogi demanded.

"Leave him alone," a deep voice interrupted behind him. "He can do whatever he wants to do."

Otogi immediately took his hands off Yuugi's shoulder, giving a small "humph" before returning to his crowd.

Bakura released a cold laugh. "So, Ohama," he teased. "Miho was right. There is something going on between you two. Tell us, what have you been doing to the poor boy every—"

Yami socked him in the jaw, chuckling as Bakura fell back several feet onto the ground, rubbing his cheek. His friends laughed uneasily, slightly backing away. "Sorry," Yami said, pulling his friend up by the hand, sounding truly apologetic. "I just had to do that. You were asking for it."

Yuugi's eyes widened in shock. Could Bakura have meant what he thought…? Suddenly, a familiar warm arm found its way around his waist, gently leading him away from the snickering boys.

"Come on, Yuugi," Yami muttered softly. "Let's get you away from these crazy buffoons."

Yami's friends were now whistling and hooting behind them. "Yeah, Ohama!" one of them shouted. "You show him how good you are in bed!" "Give it to him!" "Hey, Yuugi-kun! Tell us about it tomorrow!"

If possible, Yuugi reddened even more as Yami tightened his arm around him. But it didn't feel threatening at all. Instead, it felt comforting, as if Yami's intention was truly to prevent the boys from causing him further embarrassment. "Ignore them, Yuugi," Yami whispered into his ear as he led Yuugi across the street and around the corner. "They have no idea what they're talking about."

Yuugi nodded, not exactly sure who to believe as they came to a stop.

"Would you like to come over?" Yami asked. He sounded so kind and sincere, Yuugi didn't know what to think. "I have a cat who's dying to meet you. I think she's tired of me, but of course, it's your choice."

His heart was screaming for him to go with Yami, but his mind told him there was something strange about the boy, something he couldn't trust. Of course, Yami looked much more normal in his school uniform, but there was still that mysterious aura Yuugi couldn't ignore. "Sure," he said, sounding as casual as he could possibly manage.

"Take this," Yami said, dropping a coin into Yuugi's palm and nodding at the nearest phone booth. "Go call your grandfather. I'll wait here for you. Make sure he knows where you're going. I live about twenty blocks from the school." He watched sadly as Yuugi made his way to the booth. He could almost feel Yuugi's fear every time they were near each other, and his friends, as fun as they were to be with, weren't helping much. Was he really that intimidating?

Yuugi came jogging back to him, a small smile lighting his features. "Grandpa says I can go, but I need to be home by five."

"That's fine," Yami said. "I'll walk you home at four-thirty."

Without hesitating, Yuugi followed Yami down the block, his heart skipping as he walked.

- - -

Yami's place was a cozy little apartment. Everything was plain and neatly arranged. There was only a springy-looking couch and a small table in the living room, no television or stereo system of any sort. A pile of textbooks and novels were piled in the corner near the window, next to the chipped dining table. A small kitchen counter and stove stood beside the table, along with the tiniest refrigerator Yuugi had ever seen. He looked around for any signs of movement, but there was no one else in sight.

"Have a seat on the couch," Yami said. "I'll make us some hot cocoa."

Yuugi made himself comfortable, propping his elbow against one of the deflated pillows. The entire house smelled like Yami, even the couch sheets had the same masculine scent. It made him wonder if Yami lived alone. "Is anyone else home?" he asked, deciding to take a chance.

"No," Yami replied from the counter. "Only my cat and I live here. It's nice, having the freedom to do whatever I wish."

Yuugi lowered his eyes, regretting his question. He desperately wanted to find out more about Yami, but kept silent about the topic, afraid to offend the boy in any way. "What's your cat's name?" he asked.

Yami turned away from the boiling pot of water and looked around the room. "Do you see her?" he said with a hint of surprise. "I've never had guests before. I'd expect her to be a little shy around you."

"Oh, no," Yuugi said quickly. "I was only wondering."

Giving a slight smile, Yami turned away again, taking out a jar of cocoa powder and two mugs from the cupboard. "Her name is Bastet," he said, placing two spoonfuls of powder in each mug. "I named her after an Egyptian goddess with the head of a cat. I think it suits her quite well." He gracefully poured in the hot water from the pot with one hand, stirring with the other. As he turned around to glance at Yuugi, their eyes met for a brief second.

Yuugi blushed and pretended to be staring at the pillow. Examining it closely, he could see thin scratch marks across the fabric. He felt the couch sink as Yami sat down next to him, offering him a steamy cup of hot cocoa. "Thanks," he murmured quietly.

Their fingers brushed as he took the mug from Yami's hand. It was still hot, so he blew on it for a while, watching Yami swallow a mouthful before taking a few sips of his own. It was completely silent, but the silence was a comfortable one. Suddenly, Yuugi heard a soft purr and a light scratching noise against the wooden floor tiles from the next room.

"Come out, Bastet," Yami called, lifting his face from his drink. "Yuugi's here to see you."

A small paw appeared at the door, followed by the most beautiful black cat Yuugi had ever seen. Every step she took was filled with pride and confidence, almost reminding Yuugi of Yami himself.

Yami placed his mug down on the table and Bastet promptly hopped into his lap, making herself comfortable and curling her long tail around his arm. She looked up at Yuugi and blinked twice, her long whiskers twitching slightly.

Yuugi bit his lip nervously, immediately noticing how one eye was blue and the other was green. He had read somewhere cats could have different colored eyes, but he had never really seen one.

"Would you like to pet her?" Yami asked, gently scratching behind her ears. "She doesn't bite. Or at least I don't think she does."

Almost as if she understood what Yami had said, Bastet slowly rose from Yami's lap and crawled onto Yuugi, rubbing her face against his stomach and arms. Yuugi froze, concentrating on not spilling the cocoa all over the cat and himself. He sighed in relief as Yami reached over and took the cup from him, putting it down on the table next to his own.

"Go on," he said. "She likes you."

Yuugi swallowed. "I've never touched a cat before," he whispered.

Yami laughed casually. "It's easy," he said. He carelessly ruffled the black fur, immediately snatching his hand back as Bastet hissed and clawed at his arm before going back to nuzzling Yuugi's hands.

Holding back a giggle, Yuugi hesitantly reached down and gave the cat a small pet on the back.

"Don't be afraid," Yami said softly, cautiously reaching over. For a moment, Yuugi thought he was going to do something ridiculous to his cat again, but instead, a warm steady hand landed on his own, running it through the silky fur. Bastet slowly closed her eyes, purring loudly. For a moment, Yuugi had the urge to do the same. "See?" the deep voice continued, interrupting his thoughts. "It's not so bad, just as long as you avoid provoking her."

As Yami hand drew away, Yuugi immediately began to miss the warmth of the contact, but continued to stroke the cat anyway. "She's beautiful," he whispered, as the cat swished her tail against his leg contentedly.

"Isn't she?" Yami said, focusing his gaze on Yuugi's kind face, noting the way he closed his eyes when he smiled and how his shoulders would relax only when his happiness was genuine. "I found her on the streets when she was only a kitten. Or maybe it was she who found me." He picked up the mug from the table and drained it, glancing up at the clock on the wall as he did so. "It's almost four-thirty," he said, making his way to the sink and washing out the cup. "You should get ready to leave. Leave your cocoa if you don't want it. It's cold anyway."

"Okay," Yuugi said. "Thanks again." He glanced at his mug, only to find it a few inches away from where he had last seen it. Suddenly, he realized his mug was where Yami's mug once was. Was it an accident? Or had Yami purposely taken the wrong cup? Yuugi shook his head mentally. Probably just an accident. A strange one, but an accident nonetheless.

But something in the back of his head told him it had not been just an accident.

- - -

Note: Hmmm… I feel our boys getting closer, don't you guys? Hehehe. No hints in this one, maybe a little in the beginning, but not much. It's just another one of those pointless fluffy things. Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for all those kind reviews! I love you all! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Yami: Yes, you should write more of these "pointless fluffy things" because I like them.

Yuugi: Me, too!

Lanlan: *rubs hands together and laughs evilly to self, puts on fluffy mask* Of course, boys. More fluff and less angst. Of course…

Yami: I sense a great evil.

Mwahahahaha. Please review! =]